Apparatus for preparing a film strip for the inspection of a series of consecutive impressions of light on the sensitive layer of same



' Nov; 12, 1940.

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A OF CONSECUTIVE IMPRESSION H. G. NDEGARD 2.,055

FIL TRIP FO H NSPE ON OF RIES S OF LIGH N E SENSITI LAYER OF SAME FiledDec. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

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EGARDH P FOR THE I Nov. 12,

APPA

v OF co G. LUND 2. .055

F STRI NSPECTION OF RIES LIGHT ON THE SENSITIVE LAYER OF SAME Dec. 31,1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1940 H, RATUS FORPREPARING A NSECUTIVE IMPRESSIONSI Filed \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\&-1

I N M O M m mv Patented Nov. 12, 1940 APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A FILMSTRIP FOR. THE INSPECTION 0F A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE IMPRESSIONS OFLIGI-Ifi ON THE SENSITIVE LAYER 0F SAME Henrik Gunnar lllundegardh,Uppsala, Sweden, asslgnoi to the firm Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germanyxipplieation December 31, 1938, Seriall No. 248,784 In Sweden January312, i938 I have filed application iaweden, Jann ary l2, i938.

The present invention concerns an apparatus for preparing a film stripfor the inspection of a series of consecutive impressions of light onthe sensitive layer of same. Apart from the Well-known practice of firstdeveloping the sub tire film and then fixing and washing it, there existapparatus by means of which the film parts exposed to the diiierentimpressions of light are submitted subsequently to each other to the developing and in the same sequence tothe fixing and the washing process,one oi these parts being washed While a next part is being fixed and afollowing developed. This proceeding entails the disadvantage that thefilm is to be displaced several times from the beginning of thedevelopment to the end or" the washing in order to arrive at the placeswhere it is struck by the sprayed liquids. Moreover, the spraying, whichis to be effected continuously during the reaction of the liquids,requires comparatively large quantities of liquids and is, therefore,cornparatively costly.

Toovercome these disadvantages, the invert tion provides that theexposed film strip is intermittently so displaced in a light-tighthouoing that the sensitive layer of a film part having received onelight impression lies during a stand still period against an aperture ofa chamber which is during this period successively traversed by anddrained from the developing, fixing and washing liquids, and thatsubsequently to the washing liquid having left the chamber, the filmstrip is displaced until the sensitive layer exposed to the next lightimpression lies against the aperture of the chamber. This chamber hasconveniently a comparatively small capacity. The film consumption isvery economical, because the aperture in the chamber can be made to suitany small film parts,'which are so dimensioned that they arejust'sufiicient for the reproduction of the light impressions.

A plurality of scientific and technical measurements, as for instancecolorimetric and nephelometric measurements, aim at determining thedifferences of intensities or quantities of light, and also thequantitative spectral analysis concerns the'me'asurement of intensities,viz. those of the spectral lines in the spectrum of the sub- (Gil. 95--14) from the chamber, the fixed film part is exposed in this chamber tolight of definite intensity beiore it is displaced again, the quan tityoi the light traversing the film being measured by a photometer. Apartfrom the fact that the result of the examination is thus at disposalbefore the completion of the treatment of the film, the photographicimage can be preserved for an indefinite time as a test record. The filmis submitted to photometry in wet state, and its drying need not beWaited for. The pile-- tometric measurement doesnot even require thechamber to be empty. Great economy of time is arrived at when thephotometric measurement is made at the time when the washing water is Icirculating in the chamber.

. The method can be further improved by-submitting the film to treatmentnot subsequently to one series having received all light impressions orthe entirefilm having been exposed to such impressions, but by placingthe film strip lying in the light tight housing into a path of lightrays before this strip is made to close the said chamben'these raysimparting to this strip during the standstill period a light impressionto be examined- For carrying the method into practice, it isadvantageous to usean apparatus which has a light-tight housingcontaining a holder and a guide for the film strip, a receiver having asupply and a draining tube ,and a plane-rimmed aperture, a continuouslyrotatable driving organ, a device for changing the continuous rotationof this organ to an intermittent displacement. of the film strip, adevice for controlling the supply of. different liquids into the supplytube of the receiver, this device being coupled to the said organ, and adevice for pressing the film strip during the standstill period againstthe plane rim of the aperture of the receiver, this other device beingcoupled to the said changing device. In an apparatus constructed asabove, the film is treated entirely automatically. Even the photometricinspection can be automatic, if use is made of an electric light-sourceilluminating the aperture of the receiver. from the interior of thisreceiver, and if there is cou-' pled to the driving organ a device forclosing the circuit of the light-source during part of the saidstandstill period of the film strip, and if, further, use is made of aphotometer for measuring the quantity of light traversing the .film partlying against the aperture of the receiver. If the housing has a windowgiving access to light for infiuencingthe film part beiii] tween theholder and the aperture in the receiver, the apparatus permits thedevelopment and inspection of any film part immediately after theexposure of same. Accordingly, series of any number of exposures can betreated and examined, regardless of the entire length oi! the film stripat disposal.

The Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings show schematically anapparatus constructed according to the invention, Figures 1 and 2 beingelevational sections and illustrating two diflerent working phases,Figure 3 being a side view of parts the apparatus.

In a light-tight housing I is mounted a driving axle 2 which iscontinuously rotatable from outside. The housing I contains in its upperpart a device [or holding a film strip 4, which may be for instance aspool 8. Any complete revolution of the axle 2 causes an arm 5 fast withthe axle 2 to displace by one tooth a toothed wheel 6 mounted in thehousing. The toothed wheel 6 engages the perforation of the film strip4, which is guided by a slot 1 and two plates 8 and 9 and leaves thehousing through-an aperature Ill. The wall of the housing I is providedwith a light-tight receiver II, which is approximately spherical and hasa plane-rimmed aperture I2 whoserim lies in the plane of the guideplates 8 and 9. Into the receiver II extends a supply tube I3, the endof which. is bent in such a manner that the liquid leaving this tubefirst arrives at the aperture I2 and, when this aperture is closed,causes a rapid circulation of the liquid in the receiver. Part of thewall of the receiver II is constituted'by a lens I4 lying near anincandescent lamp I5 disposed in a lamp housing I8 connected to theexterior wall of the housing I. On a support I'I fast with the bottom ofthe housing I is pivoted an arm I8 capable of slight motion about thispivot and holding a tube I! which lies opposite the receiver II andwhose end next to the aperture I2 corresponds to the rim of thisaperture. By means of a spring the arm I8 is continuously kept incontact with a cam 2| fast with the driving axle 2. The arm I8 carriesthe slotted part I and a photoelectric cell 22 lying against that end ofthe tube I9 which is remote from the aperture I2. The cell 22 iselectrically connected to a galvanometer 23. The supply tube I3 is incommunication with a tank 24 having three-membrane valves 25a, 25b and250 for supply tubes 26a, 26b and 280, respectively. These valves areoperated by stems 21a, 21b and 210, respectively, to which belong' cams28a, 28b and 280, respectively, fast with the axle 2. To the lowest partoi the receiver II is connected a draining tube 29. Above the receiver II, the wall of the housing I is traversed by a tube 80 containing anoptical system 3i. At its one end this tube 80 is closed by atransversal plate containing a gate 82 the size of which corresponds tothat of one film image. The driving axle 2 bears a cam 33 and iselectrically connected to the one pole 01' a circuit 34 containin thelamp I8. The other pole of the circuit 34 is connected to a leaf spring35, which is so positioned that the cam 82 closes the circuit for adefinite period of time at each revolution of the axle 2.

The driving axle 2 is assumed to be connected by a suitable reductiongear to a synchronous motor or the like (not shown), which drives thisaxle at constant angular speed in such a manner that it efifects onecomplete revolution in four minutes. This period 0! time is neededapproximately for the complete treatment of one film part. Subsequentlyto a film strip 4 having been placed on the holding device 3 and thetoothed wheel 6 having been made to engage the perforation oi the end ofthis strip, the axle 2 is made to rotate by connection of thesynchronous motor to a supply. Each revolution of the axle 2 causes thearm 5 to rotate the toothed wheel 6 through an angle corresponding toone tooth, the film strip being thus displaced by the breadth of oneimage. When the film strip 4 is at rest, the optical system 3| impartsto it a light impression which is of the size of the window 82 and canbe produced for instance by a spectrograph placed in front of thissystem 3|.

When the film strip 4 is being displaced, the arm I8 assumes theposition shown in Figure 1, since the cam 2| enables the spring 20 toturn the arm towards the right. 5 is out of engagement with the toothedwheel 6, the feed of the film strip 4 is interrupted, and the arm I8 isso turned by the cam 2| that the tube I9 presses the film 4 against therim of the receiver II (Figure 2). The aperture I2 oi the receiver IIhaving thus been closed, the valve stem 21a. rises and the membranevalve 25a permits the access of the developing solution coming from astorage tank. This solution arrives in the receiver II by way of thetubes 26a and I8 and develops the light-sensitive layer of the film parton the aperture I2. After the developing process, the valve 25a isclosed through the agency oi the corresponding cam 28, and the cam 28band the valve 25b come into operation, the fixing solution being thusadmitted to the receiver II after the developing solution has left thesame. This process is repeated once more by the cam 28c and the valve250, which permits the entry of the washing water into the receiver I I.When the valve 250 is open, the cam 33 closes the circuit of theincandescent lamp I5, the light of which is concentrated by the lens I4on the film part lying against the aperture I2. Part of this lighttraverses the film 4 and arrives in the photoelectric cell 22, whichcauses the index of the galvanometer 23 to deflect. The magnitude ofthis deflection is a measure for the quantity of light traversing thefilm part in question.

After the photometric measurement, the circuit 24 is interrupted.Subsequently to the completion of the washing of the film part, thevalve 250 is closed, and the residual washing vrater in the receiver IIis drained by the tube 29. The cam H has been rotated in the meantime tosuch an extent that the arm I8 reassumes the position shown in Figure 1.Turning this arm causes the slot part 1 to withdraw the film 4 from thereceiver II, and the process beginning with the feed 0! the film strip 4is repeated.

It is advisable to use for the treatment of the film quickly actingliquids, viz. a very active developing solution and a rapid fixing bath,so that the treatment requires four minutes only. The cams 2I, 28a, 28band 280 are so constructed that the development and the fixing requireapproximately of the time 01' revolution of the driving axle 2, viz.about 1 /2 minutes, the washing approximately of this time, viz. minute,and the feed 15;, viz. /4 minute. It is possible, however, to divide thetime at disposal in a difierent manner. according to the chemicalcompositions of the used liquids, or to maize the total period lastlonger or shorter than four minutes by altering the time of revolutionof the axle 2.

, I claim:

As soon as the arm 1. An apparatus for preparing a film strip for theinspection of a series of consecutive impressions of light on thesensitive layer of same, said apparatus comprising a light-tighthousing, said housing containing a holder for said film strip, means forintermittent displacement of said film strip, these means including ashaft rotatably mounted in said housing, a receiver having an aperturefacing the sensitive layer of said film strip, the rim of said aperturebeing plane, means, coupled to said shaft, for pressing said film strip,when being in stillstand, against said rim, a system of tubes forsupplying liquids, adapted to developing, mung and washing said filmstrip, to said receiver, an outlet in said receiver enabling saidliquids to be,removed oil, means for stopping the supplv of liquids tosaid receiver, and means, coupled to said shait, i'or controlling saidstopping means.

2. In an apparatus according to claim 1, means, including an electriclight source, for sending light through said film strip at the place ofsaid aperture, means,.coupled to said shaft, for the control of thecurrent feeding said light source, and a device for photometricallymeasuring the quantity or light traversing said flhn strip.

3. In an apparatus according to claim 1, said housing having an openingfor receiving means for the exposure oi. said film strip.

HENRIK GUNNAR LUNDEGARDH.

